Judge right to strike down health care law?

Give U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson credit for thinking big, at least. While one other federal judge has ruled that the part of the Affordable Care Act that requires people to buy health insurance is unconstitutional, Judge Vinson ruled that the whole thing has to be thrown out.

Critics of the law crowed on Monday that Judge Vinson’s ruling proved they’d been right all along about “Obamacare.” U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Tequesta, said in a press release: “Judge Vinson confirmed what I’ve said all along – the requirement to purchase health insurance exceeds Congressional power under the Constitution.”

Another way of looking at it is that former Attorney General Bill McCollum was very good at picking a judge when he filed his campaign-timed lawsuit to overturn President Obama’s health care reform.

In any case, Judge Vinson’s ruling is not the last word. Two other federal judges have said that Congress does have authority to require people to buy health insurance. If people don’t have insurance, they go to the emergency for treatment anyway. And the result of that is — you guessed it — taxpayers have to pick up the cost of their treatment.

It makes much more sense — and fills a legitimate government interest — to require everybody to pay for his or her own health insurance. The alternative is for responsible people to pick up the tab for the irresponsible ones.

So now in federal court it’s two judges upholding the law and two striking down the law, or part of it. The law will continue to be enforced for now. And, obviously, the Supreme Court is going to have to make the final decision on the health insurance mandate.

We think it’s constitutional. But what do you think? Was Judge Vinson right to strike down the law? Take our poll.